Crime & Safety

Lightning Causes Natural Gas Leak

Leak was capped at 6:22 a.m. in unincorporated Stone Mountain.

A natural gas leak caused by lightning early Friday morning in unincorporated Stone Mountain was capped before 7 a.m., according to Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge.

No injuries were reported.

Rutledge said in a media release that after firefighters responded to a report of a grass fire near a home on the 5800 block of Hammersmith Road after 3 a.m., they found a small fire in the bushes and an active gas leak nearby. Fire crews put out the fire and called Atlanta Gas Light about the leak.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Firefighters believe that lightning struck a tree, subsequently rupturing a plastic gas line leading to the house. "Ponding water caused the escaping gas to bubble up from the ground until the leak was stopped," Rutledge said in the release.

A man was evacuated from the house. A crew from the gas company stopped the leak at 6:22 a.m.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.